Devices, systems and methods for meter setup verification

ABSTRACT

Devices, methods and systems for meter setup verification are provided. In one aspect, a device is provided including a communication interface and at least one processor. The communication interface receives a wiring setup configuration of at least one electronic power meter and at least one measured and/or calculated parameter from the at least one electronic power meter. The at least one processor determines if the at least one electronic power meter is wired correctly based on the wiring setup configuration of the at least one electronic power meter and the at least one measured and/or calculated parameter from the at least one electronic power meter. The device may be implemented in a separate client device or in the at least one electronic power meter.

PRIORITY

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 62/749,585, filed Oct. 23, 2018, the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

The present disclosure relates generally to intelligent electronicdevices (IEDs) such as electronic power meters, and, in particular, todevices, systems and methods for meter (or TED) setup verification.

Description of the Related Art

Monitoring of electrical energy by consumers and providers of electricpower is a fundamental function within any electric power distributionsystem. Electrical energy may be monitored for purposes of usage,equipment performance and power quality. Electrical parameters that maybe monitored include volts, amps, watts, vars, power factor, harmonics,kilowatt hours, kilovar hours and any other power related measurementparameters. Typically, measurement of the voltage and current at alocation within the electric power distribution system may be used todetermine the electrical parameters for electrical energy flowingthrough that location.

Devices that perform monitoring of electrical energy may beelectromechanical devices, such as, for example, a residential billingmeter or may be an intelligent electronic device (“TED”). Intelligentelectronic devices typically include some form of a processor. Ingeneral, the processor is capable of using the measured voltage andcurrent to derive the measurement parameters, e.g., power consumption.The processor operates based on a software configuration. A typicalconsumer or supplier of electrical energy may have many intelligentelectronic devices installed and operating throughout their operations.IEDs may be positioned along the supplier's distribution path or withina customer's internal distribution system. IEDs include revenue electricwatt-hour meters, protection relays, programmable logic controllers,remote terminal units, fault recorders and other devices used to monitorand/or control electrical power distribution and consumption. IEDs arewidely available that make use of memory and microprocessors to provideincreased versatility and additional functionality. Such functionalityincludes the ability to communicate with remote computing systems,either via a direct connection, e.g., a modem, a wireless connection ora network. IEDs also include legacy mechanical or electromechanicaldevices that have been retrofitted with appropriate hardware and/orsoftware allowing integration with the power management system.

Typically, an IED is associated with a particular load or set of loadsthat are drawing electrical power from the power distribution system.The IED may also be capable of receiving data from or controlling itsassociated load. Depending on the type of IED and the type of load itmay be associated with, the IED implements a power management functionthat is able to respond to a power management command and/or generatepower management data. Power management functions include measuringpower consumption, controlling power distribution such as a relayfunction, monitoring power quality, measuring power parameters such asphasor components, voltage or current, controlling power generationfacilities, computing revenue, controlling electrical power flow andload shedding, or combinations thereof.

The number of meters/IEDs to be serviced by a single entity may vary,for example, due to the size of the facility, the size of the utilitycompany, the geographic location, etc. When the meters/IEDs are readremotely and produce seemingly inaccurate data, a field technician istypically dispatched to visually and physically inspect the meters,e.g., to determine if the meter is wired correctly. Depending on thenumber of meters to be inspected, this can be a daunting task.Therefore, a need exists for techniques for verifying a meter wiringsetup without having to visually and physically inspect the meter at itsinstallation location.

SUMMARY

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, there areprovided herein devices, methods and systems for meter setupverification.

In one embodiment, a client device, e.g., client computer, may include asuite of software utilities or modules for verifying the setup of an IEDor meter. The meter setup verification feature provides a user with alist of possible problems detected with at least one meter and itsassociated system, so that the user can identify and correct faultsquickly and easily. For example, the software utility or module mayperform a wiring check, i.e., verifies voltage and current hookups arein the correct order and that the current transformers (CT's) are notreversed.

In one embodiment, the client device generates a notification indicatingthat a particular meter/IED is wired incorrectly. The notification maybe in the form of a pop-up display or screen display on a display devicecoupled to the client device. In one aspect, the notification is atleast one of an email, text message and/or voice message that may betransmitted to an end user or technician. In another aspect, thenotification may include corrective measures to rectify the incorrectwiring. For example, the corrective measures may include instructions onhow to rewire the meter/IED. In a further aspect, the correctivemeasures may include a selectable option, presented to the user via auser interface, to provide executable instructions to the meter/IED torectify the incorrect wiring, e.g., by reassigning actual connections tothe meter/IED to the proper expected value. In yet another aspect, theexecutable instructions may be provided to the meter/IED automaticallywithout user intervention.

In another embodiment, the meter/IED may perform the meter setupverification. For example, a software utility or module disposed withina meter/IED may perform a wiring check, i.e., verifies voltage andcurrent hookups are in the correct order and that the currenttransformers (CT's) are not reversed. In one embodiment, the meter/IEDgenerates a notification indicating that it is wired incorrectly. Thenotification may be in the form of a pop-up display or screen display ona display device coupled to the meter/IED. In one aspect, thenotification is at least one of an email, text message and/or voicemessage that may be transmitted to an end user or technician. In anotheraspect, the notification may include corrective measures to rectify theincorrect wiring. For example, the corrective measures may includeinstructions on how to rewire the meter/IED. In a further aspect, thecorrective measures may include a selectable option, presented to theuser via a user interface displayed on the display device, to enableexecutable instructions on the meter/IED to rectify the incorrectwiring, e.g., by reassigning actual connections to the meter/IED to theproper expected value. In yet another aspect, the executableinstructions are initiated by the meter/IED automatically without userintervention.

In another embodiment, a device is provided for verifying a wiring setupof an electronic power meter, the device including: a communicationinterface that receives a wiring setup configuration of at least oneelectronic power meter and at least one measured and/or calculatedparameter from the at least one electronic power meter; and at least oneprocessor that determines if the at least one electronic power meter iswired correctly based on the wiring setup configuration of the at leastone electronic power meter and the at least one measured and/orcalculated parameter from the at least one electronic power meter.

In one aspect, the wiring setup configuration is one of a 3 Element Wyeconfiguration and/or 2 CT Delta configuration.

In another aspect, the at least one measured parameter includes at leastone of RMS voltage and/or RMS current.

In a further aspect, the at least one calculated parameter includes atleast one of voltage phase angles and current phase angles.

In another aspect, the at least one processor generates a notificationif the at least one processor determines the at least one electronicpower meter is wired incorrectly.

In one aspect, the notification is at least one of an email, textmessage and/or voice message.

In yet another aspect, the notification includes corrective measures torectify the incorrect wiring.

In another aspect, the at least one processor determines voltage andcurrent phase angles based on the at least one measured and/orcalculated parameter from the at least one electronic power meter.

In a further aspect, if the at least one processor determines that theat least one electronic power meter is wired incorrectly, the at leastone processor generates executable instructions to rectify thedetermined incorrect wiring of the at least one electronic power meterand transmits the executable instructions to the at least one electronicpower meter via the communication interface without user intervention.

In another aspect, if the at least one processor determines that the atleast one electronic power meter is wired incorrectly, the at least oneprocessor prompts a user via a user interface to initiate correctivemeasures; and if the user activates the corrective measures via the userinterface, the at least one processor generates executable instructionsto rectify the determined incorrect wiring of the at least oneelectronic power meter and transmits the executable instructions to theat least one electronic power via the communication interface.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides an electronicpower meter for monitoring an electrical distribution system providingpower to a load, the electronic power meter including: at least onesensor coupled to the electrical distribution system, the at least onesensor configured to measure at least one parameter of the electricaldistribution system and generate at least one analog signal indicativeof the at least one parameter; at least one analog-to-digital converterconfigured to receive the at least one analog signal and convert the atleast one analog signal to at least one digital signal; at least onememory configured to store at least one first firmware, a wiring setupconfiguration of electronic power meter and at least one measured and/orcalculated parameter of the electrical distribution system; and at leastone processor that calculates parameters of the electrical distributionsystem and determines if the electronic power meter is wired correctlybased on the wiring setup configuration of at least one electronic powermeter and at least one measured and/or calculated parameter.

In one aspect, the wiring setup configuration is one of a 3 Element Wyeconfiguration and/or 2 CT Delta configuration.

In another aspect, the at least one measured parameter includes at leastone of RMS voltage and/or RMS current.

In a further aspect, the at least one calculated parameter includes atleast one of voltage phase angles and/or current phase angles.

In still another aspect, the at least one processor generates anotification if the at least one processor determines the electronicpower meter is wired incorrectly.

In a further aspect, the electronic meter further includes a displaydevice that displays the notification.

In one aspect, the electronic meter includes further includes acommunication interface that transmits the notification to an externaldevice, wherein the notification is at least one of an email, textmessage and/or voice message.

In another aspect, the notification includes corrective measures torectify the incorrect wiring.

In a further aspect, the at least one processor determines voltage andcurrent phase angles based on the at least one measured and/orcalculated parameter.

In one aspect, if the at least one processor determines that the atleast one electronic power meter is wired incorrectly, the at least oneprocessor generates at least one second firmware to rectify thedetermined incorrect wiring and executes the at least one secondfirmware without user intervention.

In another aspect, if the at least one processor determines that the atleast one electronic power meter is wired incorrectly, the at least oneprocessor prompts a user via a user interface to initiate correctivemeasures; and if the user activates the corrective measures via the userinterface, the at least one processor generates at least one secondfirmware to rectify the determined incorrect wiring and executes the atleast one second firmware.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be apparent from a consideration of the followingDetailed Description considered in conjunction with the drawing Figures,in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an intelligent electronic device (IED),according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A-2H illustrate exemplary form factors for an intelligentelectronic device (IED) in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an environment in which the present disclosure may beutilized.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a processor of an intelligentelectronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates another environment in which the present disclosuremay be utilized.

FIG. 6 is a screen shot illustrating a meter list indicating issuesassociated to each meter in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a screen shot illustrating a problem list displayingregistered issues detected by the methods in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a screen shot illustrating a problem scan panel in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method for verifying a meter setupin accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a device for performing a meter setupverification or wiring check that normalizes the format of data receivedfrom different types of meters in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating a method for verifying a metersetup in a 3 Element Wye configuration in accordance with an embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates various phasor diagrams illustrating exemplaryresults of the methods in accordance with the present discourse.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a method for verifying a metersetup in a 2 CT Delta configuration in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates various phasor diagrams illustrating exemplaryresults of the methods in accordance with the present discourse.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing device inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is an exemplary wiring diagram of an electronic power meter in a3 element Wye configuration in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 17 is an exemplary wiring diagram of an electronic power meter in a2 CT Delta configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described herein belowwith reference to the accompanying drawings. In the followingdescription, well-known functions or constructions are not described indetail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure in unnecessary detail.The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any configuration or design described hereinas “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other configurations or designs. Herein, the phrase“coupled” is defined to mean directly connected to or indirectlyconnected with through one or more intermediate components. Suchintermediate components may include both hardware and software basedcomponents.

It is further noted that, unless indicated otherwise, all functionsdescribed herein may be performed in either hardware or software, orsome combination thereof. In one embodiment, however, the functions areperformed by at least one processor, such as a computer or an electronicdata processor, digital signal processor or embedded micro-controller,in accordance with code, such as computer program code, software, and/orintegrated circuits that are coded to perform such functions, unlessindicated otherwise.

It should be appreciated that the present disclosure can be implementedin numerous ways, including as a process, an apparatus, a system, adevice, a method, or a computer readable medium such as a computerreadable storage medium or a computer network where program instructionsare sent over optical or electronic communication links.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described herein belowwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

As used herein, intelligent electronic devices (“IEDs”) can be anydevice that senses electrical parameters and computes data including,but not limited to, Programmable Logic Controllers (“PLC's”), RemoteTerminal Units (“RTU's”), electric power meters, panel meters,protective relays, fault recorders, phase measurement units, serialswitches, smart input/output devices and other devices which are coupledwith power distribution networks to manage and control the distributionand consumption of electrical power. A meter is a device that recordsand measures power events, power quality, current waveforms, voltagewaveforms, harmonics, transients and other power disturbances. Revenueaccurate meters (“revenue meters”) relate to revenue accuracy electricalpower metering devices with the ability to detect, monitor, report,quantify and communicate power quality information about the power thatthey are metering.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an intelligent electronic device (IED) 10for monitoring and determining power usage and power quality for anymetered point within a power distribution system and for providing adata transfer system for faster and more accurate processing of revenueand waveform analysis.

The IED 100 of FIG. 1 includes a plurality of sensors 112 coupled tovarious phases A, B, C and neutral N of an electrical distributionsystem 111, a plurality of analog-to-digital (A/D) converters 114,including inputs coupled to the sensor 112 outputs, a power supply 116,a volatile memory 118, an non-volatile memory 120, a multimedia userinterface 122, and a processing system that includes at least onecentral processing unit (CPU) 150 (or host processor) and/or one or moredigital signal processors, two of which are shown, i.e., DSP1 160 andDSP2 170. The IED 100 may also include a Field Programmable Gate Array180 which performs a number of functions, including, but not limited to,acting as a communications gateway for routing data between the variousprocessors 150, 160, 170, receiving data from the A/D converters 114,performing transient detection and capture and performing memorydecoding for CPU 150 and/or the DSP processor 160. In one embodiment,the FPGA 80 is internally comprised of two dual port memories tofacilitate the various functions. It is to be appreciated that thevarious components shown in FIG. 1 are contained within a housing 190.Exemplary housings will be described below in relation to FIGS. 2A-2H.

The plurality of sensors 112 sense electrical parameters, e.g., voltageand current, on incoming lines (i.e., phase A, phase B, phase C, neutralN) of an electrical power distribution system 111, e.g., an electricalcircuit, that are coupled to at least one load 113 that consumes thepower provided. In one embodiment, the sensors 112 will include currenttransformers and potential transformers, wherein one current transformerand one voltage transformer will be coupled to each phase of theincoming power lines. A primary winding of each transformer will becoupled to the incoming power lines and a secondary winding of eachtransformer will output a voltage representative of the sensed voltageand current. The output of each transformer will be coupled to the A/Dconverters 114 configured to convert the analog output voltage from thetransformer to a digital signal that can be processed by the CPU 150,DSP1 160, DSP2 170, FPGA 180 or any combination thereof.

A/D converters 114 are respectively configured to convert an analogvoltage output to a digital signal that is transmitted to a gate array,such as Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) 180. The digital signal isthen transmitted from the FPGA 180 to the CPU 150 and/or one or more DSPprocessors 160, 170 to be processed in a manner to be described below.

The CPU 150 and/or DSP Processors 160, 170 are configured to operativelyreceive digital signals from the A/D converters 114 (see FIG. 1 ) toperform calculations necessary to determine power usage and to controlthe overall operations of the IED 100. In some embodiments, CPU 150,DSP1 160 and DSP2 170 may be combined into a single processor, servingthe functions of each component. In some embodiments, it is contemplatedto use an Erasable Programmable Logic Device (EPLD) or a ComplexProgrammable Logic Device (CPLD) or any other programmable logic devicein place of the FPGA 180. In some embodiments, the digital samples,which are output from the A/D converters 114 are sent directly to theCPU 150 or DSP processors 160, 170, effectively bypassing the FPGA 180as a communications gateway.

The power supply 116 provides power to each component of the IED 100. Inone embodiment, the power supply 116 is a transformer with its primarywindings coupled to the incoming power distribution lines and havingwindings to provide a nominal voltage, e.g., 5 VDC, +12 VDC and −12 VDC,at its secondary windings. In other embodiments, power may be suppliedfrom an independent power source to the power supply 116. For example,power may be supplied from a different electrical circuit or anuninterruptible power supply (UPS).

In one embodiment, the power supply 116 can be a switch mode powersupply in which the primary AC signal will be converted to a form of DCsignal and then switched at high frequency, such as, for example, 100Khz, and then brought through a transformer to step the primary voltagedown to, for example, 5 Volts AC. A rectifier and a regulating circuitwould then be used to regulate the voltage and provide a stable DC lowvoltage output. Other embodiments, such as, but not limited to, linearpower supplies or capacitor dividing power supplies are alsocontemplated.

The multimedia user interface 122 is shown coupled to the CPU 150 inFIG. 1 for interacting with a user and for communicating events, such asalarms and instructions to the user. The multimedia user interface 122may include a display for providing visual indications to the user. Thedisplay may be embodied as a touch screen, a liquid crystal display(LCD), a plurality of LED number segments, individual light bulbs or anycombination. The display may provide information to the user in the formof alpha-numeric lines, computer-generated graphics, videos, animations,etc. The multimedia user interface 122 further includes a speaker oraudible output means for audibly producing instructions, alarms, data,etc. The speaker is coupled to the CPU 150 via a digital-to-analogconverter (D/A) for converting digital audio files stored in a memory118 or non-volatile memory 120 to analog signals playable by thespeaker. An exemplary interface is disclosed and described in commonlyowned U.S. Pat. No. 8,442,660, entitled “POWER METER HAVING AUDIBLE ANDVISUAL INTERFACE”, which claims priority to expired U.S. ProvisionalPatent Appl. No. 60/731,006, filed Oct. 28, 2005, the contents of whichare hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

The IED 100 will support various file types including but not limited toMicrosoft Windows Media Video files (.wmv), Microsoft Photo Story files(.asf), Microsoft Windows Media Audio files (.wma), MP3 audio files(.mp3), JPEG image files (.jpg, .jpeg, .jpe, .jfif), MPEG movie files(.mpeg, .mpg, .mpe, .m1v, .mp2v .mpeg2), Microsoft Recorded TV Showfiles (.dvr-ms), Microsoft Windows Video files (.avi) and MicrosoftWindows Audio files (.wav).

The IED 100 further comprises a volatile memory 118 and a non-volatilememory 120. In addition to storing audio and/or video files, volatilememory 118 will store the sensed and generated data for furtherprocessing and for retrieval when called upon to be displayed at the IED100 or from a remote location. The volatile memory 118 includes internalstorage memory, e.g., random access memory (RAM), and the non-volatilememory 120 includes removable and/or non-removable memory such asmagnetic storage memory; optical storage memory, e.g., the various typesof CD and DVD media; solid-state storage memory, e.g., a CompactFlashcard, a Memory Stick, SmartMedia card, MultiMediaCard (MMC), SD (SecureDigital) memory; or any other memory storage that exists currently orwill exist in the future. By utilizing removable memory, an IED can beeasily upgraded as needed. Such memory will be used for storinghistorical trends, waveform captures, event logs including time-stampsand stored digital samples for later downloading to a clientapplication, web-server or PC application.

In a further embodiment, the IED 100 will include a communication device124, also known as a network or communication interface, for enablingcommunications between the IED or meter, and a remote terminal unit,programmable logic controller and other computing devices,microprocessors, a desktop computer, laptop computer, other metermodules, etc. The communication device 124 may be a modem, networkinterface card (NIC), wireless transceiver, etc. The communicationdevice 124 will perform its functionality by hardwired and/or wirelessconnectivity. The hardwire connection may include but is not limited tohard wire cabling, e.g., parallel or serial cables, RS232, RS485, USBcable, Firewire (1394 connectivity) cables, Ethernet, and theappropriate communication port configuration. The wireless connectionmay operate under any of the various wireless protocols including butnot limited to Bluetooth™ interconnectivity, infrared connectivity,radio transmission connectivity including computer digital signalbroadcasting and reception commonly referred to as Wi-Fi or 802.11.X(where x denotes the type of transmission), satellite transmission orany other type of communication protocols, communication architecture orsystems currently existing or to be developed for wirelesslytransmitting data including spread spectrum 900 MHz, or otherfrequencies, Zigbee, WiFi, or any mesh enabled wireless communication.

The IED 100 may communicate to a server or other computing device viathe communication device 124. The IED 100 may be connected to acommunications network, e.g., the Internet, by any means, for example, ahardwired or wireless connection, such as dial-up, hardwired, cable,DSL, satellite, cellular, PCS, wireless transmission (e.g.,802.11a/b/g), etc. It is to be appreciated that the network may be alocal area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the Internet or anynetwork that couples a plurality of computers to enable various modes ofcommunication via network messages. Furthermore, the server willcommunicate using various protocols such as Transmission ControlProtocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP),Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc. and secure protocols such asHypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS), Internet Protocol SecurityProtocol (IPSec), Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), SecureSockets Layer (SSL) Protocol, etc. The server may further include astorage medium for storing a data received from at least one IED ormeter and/or storing data to be retrieved by the IED or meter.

In an additional embodiment, the IED 100 may also have the capability ofnot only digitizing waveforms, but storing the waveform and transferringthat data upstream to a central computer, e.g., a remote server, when anevent occurs such as a voltage surge or sag or a current short circuit.This data may be triggered and captured on an event, stored to memory,e.g., non-volatile RAM, and additionally transferred to a host computerwithin the existing communication infrastructure either immediately inresponse to a request from a remote device or computer to receive saiddata or in response to a polled request. The digitized waveform willalso allow the CPU 150 to compute other electrical parameters such asharmonics, magnitudes, symmetrical components and phasor analysis. Usingthe harmonics, the IED 100 will also calculate dangerous heatingconditions and can provide harmonic transformer derating based onharmonics found in the current waveform.

In a further embodiment, the IED 100 will execute an e-mail client andwill send e-mails to the utility or to the customer direct on anoccasion that a power quality event occurs. This allows utilitycompanies to dispatch crews to repair the condition. The data generatedby the meters are used to diagnose the cause of the condition. The datais transferred through the infrastructure created by the electricalpower distribution system. The email client will utilize a POP3 or otherstandard mail protocol. A user will program the outgoing mail server andemail address into the meter. An exemplary embodiment of said meteringis described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,751,563, which all contents thereof areincorporated by reference herein.

The techniques of the present disclosure can be used to automaticallymaintain program data and provide field wide updates upon which IEDfirmware and/or software can be upgraded. An event command can be issuedby a user, on a schedule or by digital communication that will triggerthe IED 100 to access a remote server and obtain the new program code.This will ensure that program data will also be maintained allowing theuser to be assured that all information is displayed identically on allunits.

It is to be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented invarious forms of hardware, software, firmware, special purposeprocessors, or a combination thereof. The IED 10 also includes anoperating system and micro instruction code. The various processes andfunctions described herein may either be part of the micro instructioncode or part of an application program (or a combination thereof) whichis executed via the operating system.

It is to be further understood that because some of the constituentsystem components and method steps depicted in the accompanying figuresmay be implemented in software, or firmware, the actual connectionsbetween the system components (or the process steps) may differdepending upon the manner in which the present disclosure is programmed.Given the teachings of the present disclosure provided herein, one ofordinary skill in the related art will be able to contemplate these andsimilar implementations or configurations of the present disclosure.

Furthermore, it is to be appreciated that the components and devices ofthe IED 10 of FIG. 1 may be disposed in various housings depending onthe application or environment. For example, the IED 100 may beconfigured as a panel meter 200 as shown in FIG. 2A an 2B. The panelmeter 200 of FIGS. 2A and 2B is described in more detail in commonlyowned U.S. Pat. No. 7,271,996, the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference. As seen in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the IED 200includes a housing 202 defining a front surface 202 a, a rear surface202 b, a top surface 202 c, a bottom surface 202 d, a right side surface202 e, and a left side surface (not shown). Electrical device 200includes a face plate 204 operatively connected to front surface 202 aof housing 202. Face plate 204 includes displays 206, indicators 208(e.g., LEDs and the like), buttons 210, and the like providing a userwith an interface for visualization and operation of electrical device200. For example, as seen in FIG. 2A, face plate 204 of electricaldevice 200 includes analog and/or digital displays 206 capable ofproducing alphanumeric characters. Face plate 204 includes a pluralityof indicators 208 which, when illuminated, indicate to the user the“type of reading”, the “% of load bar”, the “parameter designation”which indicates the reading which is being displayed on displays 206, a“scale selector” (e.g., Kilo or Mega multiplier of Displayed Readings),etc. Face plate 204 includes a plurality of buttons 210 (e.g., a “menu”button, an “enter” button, a “down” button, a “right” button, etc.) forperforming a plurality of functions, including and not limited to:viewing of meter information; enter display modes; enter configuringparameters; performing re-sets; performing LED checks; changingsettings; viewing parameter values; scrolling parameter values; andviewing limit states. The housing 202 includes voltage connections orinputs 212 provided on rear surface 202 b thereof, and current inputs214 provided along right side surface 202 e thereof. The IED 200 mayinclude a first interface or communication port 216 for connection to amaster and/or slave device. Desirably, first communication port 216 issituated in rear surface 202 b of housing 202. IED 200 may also includea second interface or communication port 218 situated on face plate 204.

In other embodiment, the IED 100 may be configured as a socket meter220, also known as a S-base type meter or type S meter, as shown in FIG.2C an 2D. An exemplary socket meter is described in more detail incommonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 8,717,007, the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference. Referring to FIGS. 2C and 2D, the meter 220includes a main housing 222 surrounded by a cover 224. The cover 224 ispreferably made of a clear material to expose a display 226 disposed onthe main body 222. An interface 228, to access the display and interactwith the IED, and a communication port 230 are also provided andaccessible through the cover 224. The meter 220 further includes aplurality of current terminals 232 and voltage terminals 234 disposed onbackside of the meter extending through a base 235. The terminals 232,234 are designed to mate with matching jaws of a detachablemeter-mounting device, such as a revenue meter socket. The socket ishard wired to the electrical circuit and is not meant to be removed. Toinstall an S-base meter, the utility need only plug in the meter intothe socket. Once installed, a socket-sealing ring 236 is used as a sealbetween the meter 220 and/or cover 224 and the meter socket to preventremoval of the meter and to indicate tampering with the meter.

In a further embodiment, the IED 100 of FIG. 1 may be disposed in aswitchboard or draw-out type housing 240 as shown in FIGS. 2E and 2F,where FIG. 2E is a front view and FIG. 2F is a rear view. Theswitchboard enclosure 242 usually features a cover 244 with atransparent face 246 to allow the meter display 248 to be read and theuser interface 250 to be interacted with by the user. The cover 244 alsohas a sealing mechanism (not shown) to prevent unauthorized access tothe meter. A rear surface 252 of the switchboard enclosure 242 providesconnections for voltage and current inputs 254 and for variouscommunication interfaces 256. Although not shown, the meter disposed inthe switchboard enclosure 242 may be mounted on a draw-out chassis whichis removable from the switchboard enclosure 242. The draw-out chassisinterconnects the meter electronics with the electrical circuit. Thedraw-out chassis contains electrical connections which mate withmatching connectors 254, 256 disposed on the rear surface 252 of theenclosure 242 when the chassis is slid into place.

In yet another embodiment, the IED 100 of FIG. 1 may be disposed in anA-base or type A housing as shown in FIGS. 2G and 2H. A-base meters 260feature bottom connected terminals 262 on the bottom side of the meterhousing 264. These terminals 262 are typically screw terminals forreceiving the conductors of the electric circuit (not shown). A-basemeters 260 further include a meter cover 266, meter body 268, a display270 and input/output means 272. Further, the meter cover 266 includes aninput/output interface 274 for interacting with the IED. The cover 266encloses the meter electronics 268 and the display 270. The cover 266has a sealing mechanism (not shown) which prevents unauthorizedtampering with the meter electronics.

It is to be appreciated that other housings and mounting schemes, e.g.,circuit breaker mounted, are contemplated to be within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary environment 300 in which the presentdisclosure may be practiced. The environment 300 includes at least oneIED 310 and at least one computing device 390, 391, 392. The network 302may be the Internet, a public or private intranet, an extranet, widearea network (WAN), local area network (LAN) or any other networkconfiguration to enable transfer of data and commands. An examplenetwork configuration uses the Transport Control Protocol/InternetProtocol (“TCP/IP”) network protocol suite, however, other InternetProtocol based networks are contemplated by the present disclosure.Communications may also include IP tunneling protocols such as thosethat allow virtual private networks coupling multiple intranets orextranets together via the Internet. The network 302 may supportexisting or envisioned application protocols, such as, for example,telnet, POPS, Mime, HTTP, HTTPS, PPP, TCP/IP, SMTP, proprietaryprotocols, or any other network protocols. During operation, the IED 310may communicate using the network 302 as will be hereinafter discussed.

It is to be appreciated that are at least two basic types of networks,based on the communication patterns between the machines: client/servernetworks and peer-to-peer networks. On a client/server network, everycomputer, device or IED has a distinct role: that of either a client ora server. A server is designed to share its resources among the clientcomputers on the network. A dedicated server computer often has fasterprocessors, more memory, and more storage space than a client because itmight have to service dozens or even hundreds of users at the same time.High-performance servers typically use from two to eight processors (andthat's not counting multi-core CPUs), have many gigabytes of memoryinstalled, and have one or more server-optimized network interface cards(NICs), RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Drives) storage consistingof multiple drives, and redundant power supplies. Servers often run aspecial network OS—such as Windows Server, Linux, or UNIX—that isdesigned solely to facilitate the sharing of its resources. Theseresources can reside on a single server or on a group of servers. Whenmore than one server is used, each server can “specialize” in aparticular task (file server, print server, fax server, email server,and so on) or provide redundancy (duplicate servers) in case of serverfailure. For demanding computing tasks, several servers can act as asingle unit through the use of parallel processing. A client devicetypically communicates only with servers, not with other clients. Aclient system may be a standard PC that is running an OS such asWindows, Linux, etc. Current OSes contain client software that enablesthe client computers to access the resources that servers share. OlderOSes, such as Windows 3.x and DOS, required add-on network clientsoftware to join a network. By contrast, on a peer-to-peer network,every computer or device is equal and can communicate with any othercomputer or device on the network to which it has been granted accessrights. Essentially, every computer or device on a peer-to-peer networkcan function as both a server and a client; any computer or device on apeer-to-peer network is considered a server if it shares a printer, afolder, a drive, or some other resource with the rest of the network.Note that the actual networking hardware (interface cards, cables, andso on) is the same in client/server versus peer-to-peer networks, it isonly the logical organization, management and control of the networkthat varies.

A client may comprise any computing device, such as a server 390,mainframe, workstation, personal computer 391, 392, hand held computer,laptop telephony device, network appliance, an IED 310, ProgrammableLogic Controller, Power Meter, Protective Relay etc. The client mayinclude system memory, which may be implemented in volatile and/ornon-volatile devices, and one or more client applications which mayexecute in the system memory. Such client applications may include, forexample, FTP client applications. File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is anapplication for transfer of files between computers attached toTransmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) networks,including the Internet. FTP is a “client/server” application, such thata user runs a program on one computer system, the “client”, whichcommunicates with a program running on another computer system, the“server”. In one embodiment, IED 310 includes at least an FTP server.

While FTP file transfer comprises one embodiment for encapsulating filesto improve a data transfer rate from an IED to external clients, thepresent disclosure contemplates the use of other file transferprotocols, such as the Ethernet protocol such as HTTP or TCP/IP forexample. Of course, other Ethernet protocols are contemplated for use bythe present disclosure. For example, for the purpose of security andfirewall access, it may be preferable to utilize HTTP file encapsulationas opposed to sending the data via FTP. In other embodiments, data canbe attached as an email and sent via SMTP, for example. Such a system isdescribed in a co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,751,563, titled “ElectronicEnergy meter”, the contents of which are incorporated herein byreference. In the U.S. Pat. No. 6,751,563, at least one processor of theIED or meter is configured to collect the at least one parameter andgenerate data from the sampled at least one parameter, wherein the atleast one processor is configured to act as a server for the IED ormeter and is further configured for presenting the collected andgenerated data in the form of web pages, as will be described inrelation to FIG. 3 .

IED 310 includes a digital sampler 320 for digitally sampling thevoltage and current of the power being supplied to a customer ormonitored at the point of the series connection in the power grid.Digital sampler 320 digitally samples the voltage and current andperforms substantially similar to the A/D converters 114 described abovein relation to FIG. 1 . The digital samples are then forwarded toprocessor 330 for processing. It is to be appreciated that the processormay be a single processing unit or a processing assembly including atleast one CPU 150, DSP1 160, DSP2 170 and FPGA 180, or any combinationthereof. Also connected to processor 330 is external device interface340 for providing an interface for external devices 350 to connect tometer 310. These external devices might include other power meters,sub-station control circuitry, on/off switches, etc. Processor 330receives data packets from digital sampler 320 and external devices 350,and processes the data packets according to user defined or predefinedrequirements. A memory 360 is connected to processor 330 for storingdata packets and program algorithms, and to assist in processingfunctions of processor 330. These processing functions include the powerquality data and revenue calculations, as well as formatting data intodifferent protocols which will be described later in detail. Processor330 provides processed data to network 302 through network interface370, similar to the communication device 124 described above in relationto FIG. 1 In one embodiment, the network interface converts the data toan Ethernet TCP/IP format. The use of the Ethernet TCP/IP format allowsmultiple users to access the power meter simultaneously. In a likefashion, network interface 370 might be comprised of a modem, cableconnection, or other devices that provide formatting functions.

A web server program (web server) is contained in memory 360, andaccessed through network or communication interface 370. The web serverprovides real time data through any known web server interface format.For example, popular web server interface formats consist of HTML andXML formats. The actual format of the programming language used is notessential to the present disclosure, in that any web server format canbe incorporated herein. The web server provides a user-friendlyinterface for the user to interact with the meter 310. The user can havevarious access levels to enter limits for e-mail alarms. Additionally,the user can be provided the data in a multiple of formats including rawdata, bar graph, charts, etc. The currently used HTML or XML programminglanguages provide for easy programming and user-friendly userinterfaces.

The processor 330 formats the processed data into various networkprotocols and formats. The protocols and formats can, for example,consist of the web server HTML or XML formats, Modbus TCP, RS-485, FTPor e-mail. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) can also be usedto assign IP addresses. The network formatted data is now available tousers at computers 390-392 through network 302, that connects to meter310 at the network interface 370. In one embodiment, network interface370 is an Ethernet interface that supports, for example, 100 base-T or10 base-T communications. This type of network interface can send andreceive data packets between WAN connections and/or LAN connections andthe meter 310. This type of network interface allows for situations, forexample, where the web server may be accessed by one user while anotheruser is communicating via the Modbus TCP, and a third user may bedownloading a stored data file via FTP. The ability to provide access tothe meter by multiple users, simultaneously, is a great advantage overthe prior art. This can allow for a utility company's customer servicepersonnel, a customer and maintenance personnel to simultaneously andinteractively monitor and diagnose possible problems with the powerservice.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of processor 330 according to theembodiment of the present disclosure. Processor 330 is shown containingat least four main processing functions. The functions shown areillustrative and not meant to be inclusive of all possible functionsperformed by processor 330. Power Quality and Revenue Metering functions(metering functions) 410 consists of a complete set of functions whichare needed for power quality and revenue metering. Packet data collectedby digital sampler 320 is transmitted to processor 330. Processor 330calculates, for example, power reactive power, apparent power, and powerfactor. The metering function 410 responds to commands via the networkor other interfaces supported by the meter. External Device RoutingFunctions 430 handle the interfacing between the external device 350 andmeter 310. Raw data from external device 350 is fed into meter 310. Theexternal device 350 is assigned a particular address. If more than oneexternal device is connected to meter 310, each device will be assigneda unique particular address. The Network Protocol Functions 450 of meter310 are executed by processor 330 which executes multiple networkingtasks that are running concurrently. As shown in FIG. 4 , these include,but are not limited to, the following network tasks included in networkprotocol functions 450: e-mail 460, web server 470, Modbus TCP 480, FTP490, and DHCP 492. The e-mail 460 network protocol function can beutilized to send e-mail messages via the network 302 to a user to, forexample, notify the user of an emergency situation or if the powerconsumption reaches a user-set or pre-set high level threshold. As theprocessor receives packets of data it identifies the network processingnecessary for the packet by the port number associated with the packet.The processor allocates the packet to a task as a function of the portnumber. Since each task is running independently the meter 310 canaccept different types of requests concurrently and process themtransparently from each other. For example, the web server may beaccessed by one user while another user is communicating via Modbus TCPand at the same time a third user may download a log file via FTP. TheNetwork to Meter Protocol Conversion Function 440 is used to format andprotocol convert the different network protocol messages to a commonformat understood by the other functional sections of meter 310. Afterthe basic network processing of the packet of data, any “commands” ordata which are to be passed to other functional sections of meter 310are formatted and protocol converted to a common format for processingby the Network to Meter Protocol Conversion Function 440. Similarly,commands or data coming from the meter for transfer over the network arepre-processed by this function into the proper format before being sentto the appropriate network task for transmission over the network. Inaddition, this function first protocol converts and then routes data andcommands between the meter and external devices.

Although the above described embodiments enable users outside of thenetwork the IED or meter is residing on to access the internal memory orserver of the IED or meter, IT departments commonly block this accessthrough a firewall to avoid access by dangerous threats into corporatenetworks. A firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized accessto or from a private network, e.g., an internal network of a building, acorporate network, etc. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardwareand software, or a combination of both. Firewalls are frequently used toprevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networksconnected to the Internet, especially intranets. All messages enteringor leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines eachmessage and blocks those that do not meet the specified securitycriteria. A firewall may employ one or more of the following techniquesto control the flow of traffic in and of the network it isprotecting: 1) packet filtering: looks at each packet entering orleaving the network and accepts or rejects it based on user-definedrules; 2) Application gateway: applies security mechanisms to specificapplications, such as FTP and Telnet servers; 3) Circuit-level gateway:applies security mechanisms when a TCP or UDP connection is established,once the connection has been made, packets can flow between the hostswithout further checking; 4) Proxy server: intercepts all messagesentering and leaving the network, effectively hides the true networkaddresses; and 5) Stateful inspection: doesn't examine the contents ofeach packet but instead compares certain key parts of the packet to adatabase of trusted information, if the comparison yields a reasonablematch, the information is allowed through, otherwise it is discarded.Other techniques and to be developed techniques are contemplated to bewithin the scope of the present disclosure.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides for overcoming theproblem of not being allowed firewall access to an IED or meterinstalled within a facility, i.e., the meter is residing on a privatenetwork, by enabling an IED to initiate one-way communication throughthe firewall. In this embodiment, the IED or meter posts the monitoredand generated data on an Internet site external to the corporate orprivate network, i.e., on the other side of a firewall. The benefit isthat any user would be able to view the data on any computer or webenabled smart device without having to pierce or bypass the firewall.Additionally, there is a business opportunity to host this data on a webserver and charge a user a monthly fee for hosting the data. Thefeatures of this embodiment can be incorporated into any telemetryapplication including vending, energy metering, telephone systems,medical devices and any application that requires remotely collectingdata and posting it on to a public Internet web site.

In one embodiment, the IED or metering device will communicate throughthe firewall using a protocol such as HTTP via a port that is openthrough the firewall. Referring to FIG. 5 , IEDs or meters 510, 512, 514reside on an internal network 516, e.g., an intranet, private network,corporate network, etc. The internal network 516 is coupled to anexternal network 522, e.g., the Internet, via a router 520 or similardevice over any known hardwire or wireless connection 521. A firewall518 is disposed between the internal network 516 and external network522 to prevent unauthorized access from outside the internal network 516to the IEDs or meters 510, 512, 514. Although the firewall 518 is shownbetween the internal network 516 and the router 520 it is to beappreciated that other configurations are possible, for example, thefirewall 518 being disposed between the router 520 and external network522. In other embodiments, the firewall 518 and router 520 may beconfigured as a single device. It is further to be appreciated thatfirewall 518 can be implemented in both hardware and software, or acombination of both.

The communication device or network interface of the meter (as describedabove in relation to FIGS. 1 and 4 ) may communicate through thefirewall 518 and read a web site server 524. It is to be appreciatedthat the one way communication from the IED through the firewall may beenabled by various techniques, for example, by enabling outbound trafficto the IP address or domain name of the server 524 or by using aprotocol that has been configured, via the firewall settings, to passthrough the firewall such as HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol), IP(Internet Protocol), TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), FTP (FileTransfer Protocol), UDP (User Datagram Protocol), ICMP (Internet ControlMessage Protocol), SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol), SNMP (SimpleNetwork Management Protocol), Telnet, etc. Alternatively, the IED mayhave exclusive access to a particular port on the firewall, which isunknown to other users on either the internal or external network. Othermethods or techniques are contemplated, for example, e-mail, HTTPtunneling, SNTP trap, MSN, messenger, IRQ, Twitter™, Bulletin BoardSystem (BBS), forums, Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), User DatagramProtocol (UDP) broadcast, UDP unicast, Virtual Private Networks (VPN),etc.

The server 524 will provide instructions in computer and/or humanreadable format to the IED or meter. For instance, the web server 524might have XML tags that state in computer readable format to providedata for the last hour on energy consumption by 15 minute intervals. Themeter 510, 512, 514 will then read those instructions on that web server524 and then post that data up on the server 524. In this manner, theIED or meter initiates communication in one direction, e.g., an outbounddirection, to the server 524.

Another server (or can be in one server) will read the data that themeter 510, 512, 514 posts and will format the meter data into data thatcan be viewed for humans on a web site or a software application, i.e.,UI Server 526. Servers 524, 526 can also store the data in a database orperform or execute various control commands on the data. Clients 528 mayaccess the IED data stored or posted on servers 524, 526 via aconnection to the network 522.

Since the meters are only communicating in an outbound direction only,the meters 510, 512, 514 can read data or instructions from an externalnetwork application (e.g., server 524), the external network applicationcannot request information directly from the meter. The server 524 poststhe data or instructions on the web site and waits for the meter tocheck the site to see if there has been a new post, i.e., newinstructions for the meter. The meter can be programmed at the user'sdiscretion as to frequency for which the meter 510, 512, 514 exits outto the external network to view the postings.

The meter instruction server 524 will post instructions in a directoryprogrammed/located on the server or into XML or in any fashion that themeter is configured to understand and then the meter will post whateverdata it is instructed to do. The meter can also be configured toaccomplish control commands. In addition to the meter instruction server524, a user interface (UI) server 526 is provided that can be used toenable a user interface to the user. The user can provide input on theUI server 526 that might trigger the meter instruction server 524 toproduce a message to control the energy next time the meter reads thatserver.

In another embodiment, the IED or metering device will communicatethrough the firewall using a server (not shown) disposed on an internalnetwork protected by a firewall. In this embodiment, the serveraggregates data from the various IEDs 510, 512, 514 coupled to theinternal or private network 516. Since the server and the IEDs 510, 512,514 are all on the same side of the firewall 518, generallycommunications and data transfers among the server and the IEDs 510,512, 514 is unrestricted. The server then communicates or transfers thedata from the IEDs to server 524 on the external network on the otherside of the firewall 518. The communication between server on theinternal network and server 524 may be accomplished by any one of thecommunication means or protocols described in the present disclosure.The server 524 then posts the data from the IEDs 510, 512, 514 makingthe data accessible to clients 528 on external networks, as describedabove.

In a further embodiment, the server disposed on the internal networkcommunicates or transfers the data from the IEDs to clients 528 on theexternal network on the other side of the firewall 518, without the needto transfer or pass data to a server on the external network.

In another embodiment, each IED 510, 512, 514 may be configured to actas a server to perform the functionality described above obviating theneed for a separate server.

Furthermore, in another embodiment, each IED 510, 512, 514 and eachclient device 528 may be configured as a server to create a peer-to-peernetwork, token ring or a combination of any such topology.

The systems and methods of the present disclosure may utilize one ormore protocols and/or communication techniques including, but notlimited to, e-mail, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), HTTP tunneling, SNTPtrap, MSN, messenger, IRQ, Twitter™, Bulletin Board System (BBS),forums, Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP)broadcast, UDP unicast, Virtual Private Networks (VPN), etc. Common chatprotocols, such as MSN, AIM, IRQ, IRC, and Skype, could be used to senda message, containing the meter's data, to a public chat server whichcould then route that message to any desired client. A public socialserver that supports a common web interface for posting information,such as Twitter™, Facebook™, BBS's, could be used to post a status,containing the meter's data, to a user on the public social server forthat service, e.g., server 440, 540, 640. This post could then be viewedby the clients to see the meter's data, or read by another server forfurther parsing and presentation. Hosted data services, such as a hosteddatabase, cloud data storage, Drop-Box, or web service hosting, could beused as an external server to store the meter's data, called Hosting.Each of these Hosts, e.g., server 540, could then be accessed by theclients to query the Hosted Data.

In another embodiment, the IEDs can communicate to devices using GenericObject Oriented Substation Event (GOOSE) messages, as defined by theIEC-61850 standard, the content of which are herein incorporated byreference. A GOOSE message is a user-defined set of data that is“published” on detection of a change in any of the contained data itemssensed or calculated by the IED. Any IED or device on the LAN or networkthat is interested in the published data can “subscribe” to thepublisher's GOOSE message and subsequently use any of the data items inthe message as desired. As such, GOOSE is known as a Publish-Subscribemessage. With binary values, change detect is a False-to-True orTrue-to-False transition. With analog measurements, IEC61850 defines a“deadband” whereby if the analog value changes greater than the deadbandvalue, a GOOSE message with the changed analog value is sent. Insituation where changes of state are infrequent, a “keep alive” messageis periodically sent by the publisher to detect a potential failure. Inthe keepalive message, there is a data item that indicates “The NEXTGOOSE will be sent in XX Seconds” (where XX is a userdefinable time). Ifthe subscriber fails to receive a message in the specified time frame,it can set an alarm to indicate either a failure of the publisher or thecommunication network.

The GOOSE message obtains high-performance by creating a mapping of thetransmitted information directly onto an Ethernet data frame. There isno Internet Protocol (IP) address and no Transmission Control Protocol(TCP). For delivery of the GOOSE message, an Ethernet address known as aMulticast address is used. A Multicast address is normally delivered toall devices on a Local Area Network (LAN). Many times, the message isonly meant for a few devices and doesn't need to be delivered to alldevices on the LAN. To minimize Ethernet traffic, the concept of a“Virtual” LAN or VLAN is employed. To meet the reliability criteria ofthe IEC-61850, the GOOSE protocol automatically repeats messages severaltimes without being asked. As such, if the first GOOSE message gets lost(corrupted), there is a very high probability that the next message orthe next or the next will be properly received.

In one embodiment, a client device, e.g., client computer 528, mayinclude a suite of software utilities or a module for verifying thesetup of an IED or meter. The meter setup verification feature providesa user with a list of possible problems detected with meters and thesystem, so that the user may identify and correct faults quickly andeasily.

In one embodiment, a utility or module is provided for setupverifications. For example, the software utility or module may perform awiring check, i.e., verifies the voltage and current hookups are in thecorrect order and that the current transformers (CT's) are not reversed.Referring to FIG. 6 , a screen shot 600 generated by the utility ormodule illustrates a meter list 602 for a plurality of meters, that maybe on a single network or may be owned or associated to a single utilityor organization over several networks. The meter list 602 includes atleast two elements, to indicate to the user that a possible problem hasbeen detected with one of the meters, or with the system. The meter list602 displays a warning icon 604 next to the meter name when an issuewith that meter is detected, and a status bar panel 606 includes awarnings item 608 to indicate a number of issues and/or warningsidentified.

The meter list warning icon 604 is displayed in a meter name column 610when an issue with that meter is detected. Clicking the icon 604 jumpsto a problems list panel, which will be described below in relation toFIG. 7 . Hovering over the icon 604 lists the known issues, e.g.,Potential Current A CT Reversal. Additionally, the status bar warningsitem 608 lists the number of issues detected by the system, includingboth meter and system issues. Clicking the warnings item 608 jumps tothe problems list panel, as illustrated in FIG. 7 .

The problems list panel 700 displays all of the registered issuesdetected by the utility or module and provides the user with the abilityto search and filter the issues, and instruct the utility or module toretest each of the issues. In one embodiment, the problems list panel700 is only shown when the system isn't scanning for problems; when thesystem is scanning for problems, the problems scan panel 800 (as shownin FIG. 8 ) is shown instead. Once loaded, the user interface (UI) shownin FIG. 7 may be refreshed on a periodic interval, e.g., a user definedpredetermined interval, or reloaded when a refresh button is pressed.Individual elements of problems list panel 700 are described below:

-   -   Banner 701—Displays the number of problems detected, or No        Problems Detected if there are none registered or detected.    -   Issue Type Filter 702—Allows the user to filter by different        issue types, e.g., wiring, offline, log retrieval, etc.    -   Time Range Filter 703—Limits the displayed issues to only those        in the time range specified, based on the last detected date.    -   Refresh List 704—Upon selection, queries the issues list from        the utility or module, and refreshes the issues list based on        the filter options.    -   Rescan 705—Upon selection, instructs the utility or module to        retest issues that it knows how to process.    -   Issues List 706—Displays the list of problems or issues, given        the filters selected by the user. Note, there may be multiple        rows for a single meter, if there are multiple issues detected.        The Issues List 706 includes at least five columns of        information as follows:        -   Group—The group the meter is assigned to.        -   Meter—The meter the problem is associated with.        -   Issue—The category of problem detected, e.g., wiring,            offline, log retrieval, etc.        -   Detected—When the issue was last detected or confirmed.        -   Description—Description of the problem, e.g., Potential            Current A CT Reversal, unable to communicate to meter,            unable to retrieve logs, etc.    -   Issue Actions 707—Right clicking on a problem in the issues list        706 brings up a menu of actions to perform on the problem. For        example:

Retest Issue—Instructs the utility or module to retest the specificissue, and update its status.

Clear Issue—Removes the issue from the list of problems. If the problemis detected again, it will be reinserted to the list.

Show Phasor—Displays a live diagram of the current state of the phasorsbeing monitored by the meter. Exemplary phasor diagrams are describedand illustrated below in FIGS. 12 and 14 .

Corrective Measures—Provides executable instructions to the meter/IED torectify the incorrect wiring, e.g., by reassigning actual connections tothe meter/IED to the proper expected value.

-   -   Report 708—Upon selection, generates a CSV report of the issues        list, that can be given to a technician for service. An        exemplary report is shown below:

Meter Serial Connection Issue Description Office 0123456789mn://172.20.166.98 Wiring Potential Current RK A CT Reversal W15.640123456788 mn://172.20.166.99 Offline Unable to communicate to meter

When the utility or module is scanning for problems, the problems listpanel 700 displays the problem scan panel 800 instead, as shown in FIG.8 . The problem scan panel 800 displays a list of each known problem,and the current status of its check. Once the scan has completed, thepanel automatically reverts to the problems list panel 700. Using aperiodic status query, the current status and list are updated by a useradjustable period, e.g., every couple of seconds. Individual elements ofproblems scanning panel 800 are described below:

-   -   Banner 801—The banner changes to indicate that the utility or        module is checking problems and how many issues/problems remain        to be tested.    -   Issue/Status 802—Displays the current status of each problem        being tested. For example,    -   Possible Problem—The issue is still a problem after the test.    -   Resolved—The issue was resolved, and will be removed from the        problems list.    -   Testing—The utility or module is currently testing the problem.    -   Pending—The utility or module has not yet retested the problem.    -   Results 803—Displays the results of the test, or the current        actions being performed for the test.

It is to be appreciated that some issues, such as log retrieval andconnection issues, are incidentally detected through the normaloperation of the utility or module. When these issues are detected, theycan be reported through various methods such as email, an API, etc. Someissues, such as the wiring check, may only ever need to be checked ondemand, or periodically. An on-demand testing service can be run from apredefined script to perform this, and the issue retestingfunctionality. This service may be a thread that is run on demand viaRPC (Remote Procedure Call), as opposed to a script.

The client device may store the meter data generated in a storage devicedisposed in or coupled to the client device. In one exemplaryembodiment, the stored data may have the following structure:

-   -   Type—The type (or category) of the problem.    -   Wiring    -   Offline    -   Log Retrieval    -   Meter—The device key for the meter. Note, the display name or        group is not stored, as that can change, and should be handled        by the user interface (UI).    -   Detected Date—The date the problem was last detected or updated.    -   Description—A text description of the possible problem, to be        displayed to the user, and providing more information than just        the type.

In one embodiment, the problems list may be stored as an XML structure.An exemplary problems list stored as an XML structure is illustratedbelow, which includes “issue type”, “meter”, “detected_date” and “desc”for description as described above:

<root> <header version=“1” last_updated=“2018/03/25 12:15:17”/> <issues><issue type=“wiring” meter=“0091234567” detected_date=“2018/03/2317:18:13” desc=“Potential Current A CT Reversal”/> <issue type=“offline”meter=“0091234567” detected_date=“2018/03/24 23:57:01” desc=“Unable tocommunicate to meter”/> <issue type=“log retrieval”meter=“0000000012345678” detected_date=“2018/03/15 12:12:03”desc=“Unable to retrieve logs, security required but not configured”/></issues> </root>

A RPC may be employed to query issues, for example:

-   -   issues.list

This text is an example (and could be arbitrary), and other commandswhich execute similar code are envisioned.

The RPC queries a list of all the issues detected by the meter setupverification utility or module. If the utility or module is currentlyretesting the problems list, this command will return that status.

When tests are not running:

<root> <header version=“1” last_updated=“2018/03/25 12:15:17”status=“ready”/> <issues> <issue type=“wiring” meter=“0091234567”detected_date=“2018/03/23 17:18:13” desc=“Current CT's Reversed”/><issue type=“offline” meter=“0091234567” detected_date=“2018/03/2423:57:01” desc=“Unable to communicate to meter”/> <issue type=“logretrieval” meter=“0000000012345678” detected_date=“2018/03/15 12:12:03”desc=“Unable to retrieve logs, security required but not configured”/></issues> </root>When tests are running:

<root> <header version=“1” last_updated=“2018/03/25 12:15:17”/status=“testing”> <issues> <issue type=“wiring” meter=“0091234567”detected_date=“2018/03/23 17:18:13” status=“problem” desc=“Current CT'sReversed”/> <issue type=“offline” meter=“0091234567”detected_date=“2018/03/24 23:57:01” status=“ok” desc=“Able to connect”/><issue type=“log retrieval” meter=“0000000012345678”detected_date=“2018/03/15 12:12:03” status=“pending” desc=“Attempting tologin...”/> </issues> </root>

As described above, issues may be retested from the problems list panel700. Right clicking on a problem in the issues list 706 brings up a menuof actions to perform on the problem, i.e., issue actions 707. Selecting“Retest Issue”, instructs the utility or module to retest a specificissue, or all the issues, according to the command below.

issues.test [meter] [type] issues.test “meter=0091234567,type=wiring”Issuing this command will prevent querying the issues list untilcompleted.

-   -   [meter]—The meter to retest. If not specified, issues for all        meters will be retested.    -   [type]—The type of issues to retest. If not specified, all types        of issues are retested (as available).        Other command formats are envisioned, such as separate commands        to test all meters, a list of meters, and a single meter.

When a meter has been hooked up to the electrical power distributionsystem in a 3 Element Wye or 2 CT Delta configuration, the utility ormodule may use voltage and current phase angles as determined by themeter to determine if the meter has been wired incorrectly. Referring toFIG. 16 , an exemplary wiring diagram of an electronic power meter 1602in a 3 Element Wye configuration is provided. The meter 1602 includesvoltage inputs 1612 (e.g., Va, Vb, Vc, Vref) and current inputs 1614(e.g., Ia, Ib, Ic). Each voltage input is coupled to a respective line1620 of the electrical distribution system, e.g., input Va is coupled toline or phase A, input Vb is coupled to line or phase B, input Vc iscoupled to line or phase C and input Vref is coupled to line or phase N(neutral). Each voltage input 1612 may be connected directly to arespective line or phase, or alternatively, each voltage input 1612 maybe coupled to a respective line or phase via an optional potentialtransformer 1622. Each current input 1614 is coupled to a respectiveline 1620 of the electrical distribution system via a currenttransformer (CT) 1624, 1626, 1628. As can be seen in FIG. 16 , eachcurrent input for a respective line or phase includes a HI input and aLO input.

Referring to FIG. 17 , an exemplary wiring diagram of an electronicpower meter 1702 in a 2 CT Delta configuration is provided. The meter1702 includes voltage inputs 1712 (e.g., Va, Vb, Vc, Vref) and currentinputs 1714 (e.g., Ia, Ib, Ic). Each voltage input is coupled to arespective line 1720 of the electrical distribution system, e.g., inputVa is coupled to line or phase A, input Vb is coupled to line or phaseB, and input Vc is coupled to line or phase C. Each voltage input 1612may be connected directly to a respective line or phase, oralternatively, the voltage inputs 1612 may be coupled to the three linesor phases via two optional potential transformers 1722. The currentinputs 1714 are coupled to three lines or phases 1720 of the electricaldistribution system via two current transformers (CTs) 1724 and 1726. Ascan be seen in FIG. 17 , each current input for a respective line orphase includes a HI input and a LO input.

Since a result that the meter has been wired incorrectly will not changeuntil rectified (e.g., a technician has rewired the meter, a userinitiated reprogramming based on the actual wiring has been implemented,etc.), and will not become incorrect again after it has been rectified,this verification can be done on an as needed basis. For example, oftena meter is first installed by a contractor or electrician, that may nothave the ability or knowledge to verify that the voltage and current hasbeen wired up correctly. This is particularly troublesome when phasesare connected in the wrong order, as the raw voltage and current maylook normal, but the energy accumulated and the phase angles reported,may be completely wrong. By checking and reporting the meter hookupissues, an administrator can quickly check the wiring of the meters inthe associated system, and send technicians out with specificinstructions to repair.

Referring to FIG. 9 , a method for verifying a meter setup is provided.It is to be appreciated that the method of FIG. 9 may be performed by aclient device including the software utility or module of the presentdisclosure, such as client device 528 described above. In step 902, theclient device polls hookup or configuration settings for the meter ormeters, e.g., 3 Element Wye or 2 CT Delta. It is to be appreciated thatthe hookup or configuration setting may be initially selected via a userinterface on a display device of the meter (e.g., via display 206 andbuttons 210 of meter 200 as in FIGS. 2A and 2B) or via a softwareprogram running on a client device coupled to the meter. The selectedhookup or configuration setting may then be stored in a memory of themeter. Next, in step 904, voltage and current RMS values are polled. Thevoltage and current phase angles are polled, in step 906.

In step 908, the hookup settings, RMS values, and phase angles arenormalized. Because each meter type may return phase angles and hookupor configuration settings in different formats, in one embodiment, theclient device uses a DeviceLib class for each meter, i.e., a librarymodule customized for each meter type, to individually translate themeters phase angle format to one useable by the wiring check utility ormodule. Referring to FIG. 10 , five meter types 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008,1010 are in communication and polled for data to perform the wiringcheck. Each of the five meters 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008, 1010 have adifferent, predefined phase angle or data format, i.e., format 1, format2, format 3, respectively. A poller 1012 in the client device employs aDeviceLib class for each meter to individually translate the phase angleformat of each meter to a common format 1014.

Using the common phase angle format output by DeviceLib, the wiringcheck utility or module applies the various tests (as will be describedbelow) to generate a result for each meter tested, in step 910. Theseresults are then stored in the problems list table, in step 912.

Before conducting a wiring check, the utility or module verifies atleast three conditions. Initially, the utility or module determines ifthe wiring configuration setup programmed into the meter is a 3 ElementWye or a 2 CT Delta. It is to be appreciated that the wiringconfiguration setup may be selectable from a user interface coupled tothe meter, e.g., a display device on the meter, via a software programexecuting on the client device, etc., and stored in memory of the meter.Depending on the wiring configuration, the utility or module performsdifferent checks or tests to determine if the wiring setup is correct.Additionally, the utility or module determines if the RMS voltage isabove 5 V secondary and RMS current is above 0.05 A secondary.

Referring to FIG. 11 , a method 1100 for verifying the wiring setup of ameter in a 3 Element Wye configuration is provided. It is to beappreciated that the method of FIG. 11 may be performed by a clientdevice including the software utility or module of the presentdisclosure, such as client device 528 described above. It is to beappreciated that the tests or checks performed in FIG. 11 are the testsreferred to in step 910 of FIG. 9 . Initially, in step 1102, if it isdetermined that the meter is configured in a 3 Element Wyeconfiguration, the tests or checks for the 3 Element Wye configurationare retrieved, e.g., from a memory device. In step 1104, RMS voltage andcurrent (that were retrieved in step 904 of FIG. 9 ) are analyzed todetermine if they are above a predetermined threshold, e.g., voltage isabove 5 V secondary and current is above 0.05 A secondary. If thevoltage and current are below the respective predetermined threshold,the test fails, in step 1106, and method 1100 stops where no furthertests or checks are performed. If the voltage and current are above therespective predetermined threshold, method 1100 proceeds to step 1108.

In step 1108, the utility or module determines if the voltage phases areswapped, e.g., if all of the current phases are within ±45 degrees of avoltage, but two of the currents are associated with the wrong voltage.If the voltage phases are swapped, the test fails, in step 1110, andmethod 1100 stops where no further tests or checks are performed;otherwise, method 1100 proceeds to step 1112. Note, this test need notbe performed if one of the current phase RMS values are below thethreshold, as the relative phase angle between the current and voltagemay be unreliable.

In step 1112, a voltage phase check is preformed, e.g., it is determinedif the voltage phases are 120 degrees+/−5 degrees apart. If the voltagephases are not in compliance, the test fails, in step 1114, and method1100 stops where no further tests or checks are performed; otherwise, ifall three voltage phases are 120 degrees+/−5 degrees apart, method 1100proceeds to step 1116.

In step 1116, a CT reversal check is preformed, e.g., it is determinedthat a current phase is 180 degrees+/−45 degrees from a correspondingvoltage. If the currents are associated with the wrong voltage phases,the test fails, in step 1118, and method 1100 stops where no furthertests or checks are performed; otherwise, method 1100 proceeds to step1120.

In step 1120, a current to voltage check is preformed, e.g., it isdetermined if each current phase is +/−45 degree from a correspondingvoltage. If a respective current phase is greater than +/−45 degree froma corresponding voltage phases (e.g., if Ia is greater than +/−45degrees from Va), the test fails, in step 1122, and method 1100 stopswhere no further tests or checks are performed; otherwise, method 1100determines both voltage and current are wired correctly, in step 1124.

In one embodiment, if the voltages are above the predetermined voltagethreshold, but the currents are below the predetermined currentthreshold in step 1104, the voltage tests or checks, e.g., steps 1108and 1112, may still be performed without performing the current tests orchecks, e.g., steps 1116 and 1120. In another embodiment, if thevoltages are above the predetermined voltage threshold, but only certaincurrents are above the predetermined current threshold (e.g., only thecurrent for phase A is above the predetermined current threshold), thecurrent tests or checks may be performed on those individual currentphases that have current values above the predetermined currentthreshold, in addition to the voltage checks being performed.

It is to be appreciated that in certain embodiments all steps, testsand/or checks, e.g., steps 1104, 1108, 1112, 1116, 1120, may beperformed even if one or more tests and/or checks have failed. In otherembodiments, the steps, tests and/or checks may be performed in anyorder or simultaneously. For example, after each test, a flag may be setindicating if a particular test has passed or failed. After all test arecompleted, an indication may be presented indicating at least one testhas failed and/or the indication may present a list of which tests havefailed.

Referring to FIG. 12 , exemplary results of the analysis performed inmethod 1100 for a 3 Element Wye configuration are illustrated in thevarious phasor diagrams. The results of the voltage phase check of step1112, where voltage phases must be 120 degrees±5 degrees apart, areillustrated in Examples 1 and 2 of FIG. 12 . Example 1 shows the ideal(or passing) case where voltage phases Va, Vb and Vc are 120 degreesapart. Example 2 shows a failing case, where at least the voltage phasebetween Va and Vb is 180 degrees apart (i.e., more than 120 degreeapart). The results of the current phase check of step 1120, wherecurrent phase must be within ±45 degrees of its corresponding voltagephase, is illustrated in Examples 3 and 4 of FIG. 12 . Example 3 showsthe ideal or passing case where Ia is approximately 20 degrees from Va,and Example 4 shows a failing case where current Ia is more than 45degrees from voltage Va, i.e., in this example, Ia is 90 degrees fromVa.

If the current phase is 180 degrees±45 degrees of the voltage phase asdetermined in step 1116, this indicates a reversed CT. Example 5 of FIG.12 shows this failing case, where current Ia is approximately 170degrees from Va. Step 1108 determines if the voltage phases are swappedby determining if all of the current phases are within ±45 degrees of avoltage, but two of the currents are associated with the wrong voltage.Example 6 of FIG. 12 shows a case where Va and Vb are swapped, as shownby the fact that the Ib angle matches the Va angle, Ia matches the Vbangle, and Ic matches the Vc angle. Similarly, Example 7 of FIG. 12shows a case where Va and Vc are swapped.

Referring to FIG. 13 , a method 1300 for verifying the wiring setup of ameter in a 2 CT Delta configuration is provided. It is to be appreciatedthat the method of FIG. 13 may be performed by a client device includingthe software utility or module of the present disclosure, such as clientdevice 528 described above. It is to be appreciated that the tests orchecks performed in FIG. 13 are the tests referred to in step 910 ofFIG. 9 . Initially, in step 1302, if it is determined that the meter isconfigured in a 2 CT Delta configuration, the tests or checks for the 2CT Delta configuration are retrieved. In step 1304, RMS voltage andcurrent (that were retrieved in step 904 of FIG. 9 ) are analyzed todetermine if they are above a predetermined threshold, e.g., voltage isabove 5 V secondary and current is above 0.05 A secondary. If thevoltage and current are below the respective predetermined threshold,the test fails, in step 1306, and method 1300 stops where no furthertests or checks are performed. If the voltage and current are above therespective predetermined threshold, method 1300 proceeds to step 1308.In step 1308, the utility or module determines if the voltage phases areswapped. If the voltage phases are swapped, the test fails, in step1310, and method 1300 stops where no further tests or checks areperformed; otherwise, method 1300 proceeds to step 1312.

In step 1312, a Vbc voltage phase check is preformed, e.g., it isdetermined if the Vcb voltage phase is 60 degrees+/−5 degrees from theVab phase. If the voltage phases are not in compliance, the test fails,in step 1314, and method 1300 stops where no further tests or checks areperformed; otherwise, method 1300 proceeds to step 1316.

In step 1316, a check is preformed to determine if Ia phase is within apredetermined threshold of Vab phase, e.g., it is determined if the Iacurrent phase is 30 degrees+/−45 degrees from the Vab phase. If the Iacurrent phase is not in compliance, the test fails, in step 1318, andmethod 1300 stops where no further tests or checks are performed;otherwise, method 1300 proceeds to step 1320.

In step 1320, a check is preformed to determine if Ic phase is within apredetermined threshold of Vcb phase, e.g., it is determined if the Iccurrent phase is 30 degrees+/−45 degrees from the Vcb phase. If the Iccurrent phase is not in compliance, the test fails, in step 1322, andmethod 1300 stops where no further tests or checks are performed;otherwise, method 1300 proceeds to step 1324.

In step 1324, a CT reversal check is preformed, e.g., it is determinedthat a current phase is 180 degrees+/−45 degrees from the ideal (wherethe current angles should be in a perfect system, i.e., see FIG. 14 ,Example 3). If the currents are reversed, the test fails, in step 1326,and method 1300 stops where no further tests or checks are performed;otherwise, method 1300 determines the CTs are wired correctly, in step1324.

In one embodiment, if the voltages are above the predetermined voltagethreshold, but the currents are below the predetermined currentthreshold in step 1304, the voltage tests or checks, e.g., steps 1308and 1312, may still be performed without performing the current tests orchecks, e.g., steps 1316, 1320 and 1324. In another embodiment, if thevoltages are above the predetermined voltage threshold, but only certaincurrents are above the predetermined current threshold (e.g., only thecurrent for phase A is above the predetermined current threshold), thecurrent tests or checks may be performed on those individual currentphases that have current values above the predetermined currentthreshold, in addition to the voltage checks being performed.

It is to be appreciated that in certain embodiments all steps, testsand/or checks, e.g., steps 1304, 1308, 1312, 1316, 1320, 1324, may beperformed even if one or more tests and/or checks have failed. In otherembodiments, the steps, tests and/or checks may be performed in anyorder or simultaneously. For example, after each test, a flag may be setindicating if a particular test has passed or failed. After all test arecompleted, an indication may be presented indicating at least one testhas failed and/or the indication may present a list of which tests havefailed.

Referring to FIG. 14 , exemplary results of the analysis performed inmethod 1300 for a 2 CT Delta configuration are illustrated in thevarious phasor diagrams. The results of the Vbc voltage phase check ofstep 1312, where Vcb must be 60 degrees±5 degrees from the Vab phase,are illustrated in Examples 1 and 2 of FIG. 14 . Example 1 shows theideal case, where Vab is 60 degrees+/−5 degrees from Vcb, and Example 2shows a failing case, where Vab is 180 degrees from Vcb. The results ofthe checks performed in steps 1316 and 1320, where Ic phase must be +30degrees±45 degrees from Vcb, and Ia must be −30 degrees±45 degrees fromVab, are illustrated in Examples 3 and 4 of FIG. 13 . Example 3 showsthe ideal case where Ic is within 30 degrees of Vcb and Ia is within −30degrees of Vab, and Example 4 shows a failing case where Ia isapproximately 135 degrees from Vab.

If the current phase is 180 degrees±45 degrees of the ideal (−30 degreesin the case of Ia), as determined in step 1324, this indicates a reverseCT, as illustrated in Example 5. The results of the voltage swap checkof step 1308 are illustrated in Examples 6 and 7 of FIG. 14 . If Ic iswhere Ia should be, and Ia is −135 degrees±45 degrees from Vab, thisindicates that Va and Vb are swapped, as shown in Example 6 of FIG. 14 .If Vcb is −60 degrees±5 degrees from Vab, Ia is −30 degrees±45 degreesfrom Vcb, and Ic is 30 degrees±45 degrees from Vab, this indicates thatVa and Vc are swapped, as shown in Example 7 of FIG. 14 .

Based on the results of the analysis above, the following messages ordescriptions/meanings may be generated and displayed in the descriptionsection of the issues list 706 of FIG. 7 :

Message Meaning General OK Both voltage and current are correctly wired.Not supported Supports 3 Element Wye and 2 CT Delta, only. Unable tocommunicate with meter Meter is offline. Voltage Low - One or more ofthe voltage Below 5 V secondary phases has too low of an RMS value.Current Low - One or more of the current Below 0.05 A secondary phaseshas too low of an RMS value. Phase A CT Reversal - A current phaseCurrent phase 180° ± 45 of the voltage phase. may be reversed. Phase BCT Reversal - B current phase Current phase 180° ± 45 of the voltagephase. may be reversed. Phase C CT Reversal - C current phase Currentphase 180° ± 45 of the voltage phase. may be reversed. 3 Element WyeVoltage Phases Va and Vb may be All Current phases ±45° from a voltage,but swapped - Two of the voltage phases may two of the currents areassociated with the be swapped. wrong voltage. Voltage Phases Va and Vcmay be All Current phases ±45° from a voltage, but swapped - Two of thevoltage phases may two of the currents are associated with the beswapped. wrong voltage. Current Out of Phase - The current phasesCurrent phase ±45° from corresponding may be incorrect. voltage. VoltageOut of Phase - The voltage phases Voltage phase 120° ± 5 apart. may beincorrect. 2 CT Delta Voltage Phases A-C Swapped - Two of the Vab 60° ±5 from Vcb voltage phases may be swapped. Voltage Phases B-C Swapped -Two of the Vcb 60° ± 5 from Vab voltage phases may be swapped. VoltagePhase C may be incorrect. Vcb 60° ± 5 from Vab Current Phase A Bad maybe incorrect. Ia must be −30° ± 45° from Vab Current Phase C Bad may beincorrect. Ic phase must be +30° ± 45° from Vcb.

It is to be appreciated that based on the results of the wiring check,software utility or module (executed by at least one processor of theclient device or by at least one processor of a meter) may triggervarious events to occur. For example, the at least one processor maygenerate a notification indicating that the meter is wired incorrectly.In one embodiment, the notification may include a work order indicatingthe problem/issue and sent to the appropriate personnel to correct theissue, e.g., a field technician. The notification or work order may besent via email, text message, computer-generated voice message, etc.without user intervention. The notification or work order may includeinformation identifying the meter, its location, and/or correctivemeasures to rectify the incorrect wiring. In another embodiment, thewiring check utility or module may trigger an output on a respectivemeter having a wiring issue, for example, to trip a relay to shut offpower being delivered to a load. Other outputs/triggers are contemplatedto be within the scope of the present disclosure.

In another embodiment, the incorrect wiring setup may be rectified byreprogramming the meter. In one embodiment, if the at least oneprocessor determines that the at least one electronic power meter iswired incorrectly, the at least one processor generates executableinstructions to rectify the determined incorrect wiring of the at leastone electronic power meter and transmits the executable instructions tothe at least one electronic power via the communication interfacewithout user intervention. In another embodiment, if the at least oneprocessor determines that the at least one electronic power meter iswired incorrectly, the at least one processor prompts a user via a userinterface to initiate corrective measures and, if the user activates thecorrective measures via the user interface, the at least one processorgenerates executable instructions to rectify the determined incorrectwiring of the at least one electronic power meter and transmits theexecutable instructions to the at least one electronic power via thecommunication interface.

In one example, a CT may be reversed, i.e., the leads from the CTcoupled to the HI and LO current inputs 1614 may be reversed. If it isdetermined that at least one CT is reversed, corrective measures may beinitiated, either by the user or automatically by the software utilityor module, and the meter's instructions (e.g., firmware, software,programmable settings, etc.) shifts the current phase by 180 degrees forthat phase, rather than rewiring the meter. This will reverse the powerdirection, and all computations such as power factor, phase angle etc.,which are derived after that will be affected. The option to rectify anincorrect wiring setup (or take corrective measures) may be presented toa user on a user interface of the client device, e.g., the problem list700 shown in FIG. 7 . Where upon selection, e.g., selection of“Corrective Measures” on issue actions 707, the corrective measures maybe placed in effect. Alternatively, the corrective measures for aparticular problem may be automatically implemented by at least oneprocessor of the meter with user input or intervention. After thecorrective measures have been implemented, a user may select “RetestIssue” on issue actions 707 to observe whether the corrective measuresactually corrected the particular problem.

In another example, it may be determined that the voltages are swapped,as determined in step 1108 of method 1100 and shown in Ex. 6 of FIG. 12where Va and Vb are swapped. Upon a user selecting corrective measuresor the corrective measures being automatically initiated by the clientdevice or meter, executable instructions will be implemented to nowassigned the values as being read at voltage input Va as values for Vband vice versa. After the corrective measures have been implemented, auser may select “Retest Issue” to observe whether the correctivemeasures actually corrected the particular problem (where, in this case,the problem is that Va and Vb were swapped).

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating physical components of acomputing device 1502, for example a client computing device, with whichexamples of the present disclosure may be practiced. Among otherexamples, computing device 1502 may be an exemplary computing deviceconfigured for execution of a wiring check module that is used to verifya meter wiring setup as described herein. In a basic configuration, thecomputing device 1502 may include at least one processing unit 1504 anda system memory 1506. Depending on the configuration and type ofcomputing device, the system memory 1506 may comprise, but is notlimited to, volatile storage (e.g., random access memory), non-volatilestorage (e.g., read-only memory), flash memory, or any combination ofsuch memories. The system memory 1506 may include an operating system(OS) 1507 and one or more program modules 1508 suitable for runningsoftware programs/modules 1520 such as IO manager 1524, other utility1526 and application 1528, for example, the wiring setup verificationutility. As examples, system memory 1506 may store instructions forexecution. Other examples of system memory 1506 may store dataassociated with applications. The operating system 1507, for example,may be suitable for controlling the operation of the computing device1502. Furthermore, examples of the present disclosure may be practicedin conjunction with a graphics library, other operating systems, or anyother application program and is not limited to any particularapplication or system. This basic configuration is illustrated in FIG.15 by those components within a dashed line 1522. The computing device1502 may have additional features or functionality. For example, thecomputing device 1502 may also include additional data storage devices(removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks,optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG.15 by a removable storage device 1509 and a non-removable storage device1510.

As stated above, a number of program modules and data files may bestored in the system memory 1506. While executing on the processing unit1504, program modules 1508 (e.g., Input/Output (I/O) manager 1524, otherutility 1526 and application 1528) may perform processes including, butnot limited to, one or more of the stages of the operations describedthroughout this disclosure, for example, the operation of verifying ameter wiring setup. Other program modules that may be used in accordancewith examples of the present disclosure may include electronic mail andcontacts applications, word processing applications, spreadsheetapplications, database applications, slide presentation applications,drawing or computer-aided application programs, photo editingapplications, authoring applications, etc.

Furthermore, examples of the present disclosure may be practiced in anelectrical circuit comprising discrete electronic elements, packaged orintegrated electronic chips containing logic gates, a circuit utilizinga microprocessor, or on a single chip containing electronic elements ormicroprocessors. For example, examples of the meter setup verificationof the present disclosure may be practiced via a system-on-a-chip (SOC)where each or many of the components illustrated in FIG. 15 may beintegrated onto a single integrated circuit. Such an SOC device mayinclude one or more processing units, graphics units, communicationsunits, system virtualization units and various application functionalityall of which are integrated (or “burned”) onto the chip substrate as asingle integrated circuit. When operating via an SOC, the functionalitydescribed herein may be operated via application-specific logicintegrated with other components of the computing device 1502 on thesingle integrated circuit (chip). Examples of the present disclosure mayalso be practiced using other technologies capable of performing logicaloperations such as, for example, AND, OR, and NOT, including but notlimited to mechanical, optical, fluidic, and quantum technologies. Inaddition, examples of the present disclosure may be practiced within ageneral purpose computer or in any other circuits or systems.

The computing device 1502 may also have one or more input device(s) 1512such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a sound input device, a device forvoice input/recognition, a touch input device, etc. The output device(s)1514 such as a display, speakers, a printer, etc. may also be included.The aforementioned devices are examples and others may be used. Thecomputing device 1504 may include one or more communication connectionsor interfaces 1516 allowing communications with other computing devices1518 and/or meters/IEDs 1519. Examples of suitable communicationconnections or interfaces 1516 include, but are not limited to, anetwork interface card; RF transmitter, receiver, and/or transceivercircuitry; universal serial bus (USB), parallel, and/or serial ports.

The term computer readable media as used herein may include computerstorage media. Computer storage media may include volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information, such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, or program modules. The system memory1506, the removable storage device 1509, and the non-removable storagedevice 1510 are all computer storage media examples (i.e., memorystorage.) Computer storage media may include RAM, ROM, electricallyerasable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memorytechnology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other opticalstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other article of manufacturewhich can be used to store information and which can be accessed by thecomputing device 1502. Any such computer storage media may be part ofthe computing device 1502. Computer storage media does not include acarrier wave or other propagated or modulated data signal.

Communication media may be embodied by computer readable instructions,data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated datasignal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, andincludes any information delivery media. The term “modulated datasignal” may describe a signal that has one or more characteristics setor changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. Byway of example, and not limitation, communication media may includewired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, andwireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, andother wireless media.

It is to be appreciated that the computing device 1520 may, in certainembodiments, be a mobile computing device, for example, a mobiletelephone, a smart phone, a personal data assistant, a tablet personalcomputer, a phablet, a slate, a laptop computer, and the like, withwhich examples of the present disclosure may be practiced.

In another embodiment, the meter/IED may perform the meter setupverification. For example, a software utility or module disposed withina meter/IED may perform a wiring check, i.e., verifies voltage andcurrent hookups are in the correct order and that the currenttransformers (CT's) are not reversed based on the meter wiringconfiguration and the voltage and current phase angles determined by themeter. In one embodiment, the meter/IED generates a notificationindicating that it is wired incorrectly. The notification may be in theform of a pop-up display or screen display on a display device coupledto the meter/IED. In one aspect, the notification is at least one of anemail, text message and/or voice message that may be transmitted to anend user or technician. In another aspect, the notification may includecorrective measures to rectify the incorrect wiring. For example, thecorrective measures may include instructions on how to rewire themeter/IED. In a further aspect, the corrective measures may include aselectable option, presented to the user via a user interface displayedon the display device, to enable executable instructions on themeter/IED to rectify the incorrect wiring, e.g., by reassigning actualconnections to the meter/IED to the proper expected value. In yetanother aspect, the executable instructions are initiated by themeter/IED automatically without user intervention.

It is to be appreciated that the various features shown and describedare interchangeable, that is a feature shown in one embodiment may beincorporated into another embodiment.

While non-limiting embodiments are disclosed herein, many variations arepossible which remain within the concept and scope of the presentdisclosure. Such variations would become clear to one of ordinary skillin the art after inspection of the specification, drawings and claimsherein. The present disclosure therefore is not to be restricted exceptwithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Furthermore, although the foregoing text sets forth a detaileddescription of numerous embodiments, it should be understood that thelegal scope of the present disclosure is defined by the words of theclaims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description isto be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possibleembodiment, as describing every possible embodiment would beimpractical, if not impossible. One could implement numerous alternateembodiments, using either current technology or technology developedafter the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within thescope of the claims.

It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined inthis patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘ ’ is herebydefined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, there is no intent tolimit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication,beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not beinterpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in anysection of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To theextent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent isreferred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning,that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader,and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, by implicationor otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, unless a claim element isdefined by reciting the word “means” and a function without the recitalof any structure, it is not intended that the scope of any claim elementbe interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixthparagraph.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for verifying a wire setup of anelectronic power meter, the device comprising: a communication interfacethat receives a selection of a wiring setup configuration of at leastone electronic power meter and at least one measured and/or calculatedparameter from the at least one electronic power meter; at least onememory that stores the selected wiring setup configuration for the atleast one electronic power meter, the at least one measured and/orcalculated parameter received from the at least one electronic powermeter and at least two different wiring setup configurations, eachwiring setup configuration including at least two tests used to verifyif the at least one electronic power meter is wired correctly; and atleast one processor that determines selected wiring setup configurationand retrieves the at least two tests from the at least one memory basedon the selected wiring setup configuration and determines if the atleast one electronic power meter is wired correctly based on executingthe retrieved at least two tests using the at least one measured and/orcalculated parameter from the at least one electronic power meter,wherein the at least one processor determines the at least oneelectronic power meter is wired incorrectly if at least one test fails,generates a notification indicating which test has failed and generatesexecutable instructions to reprogram the at least one electronic powermeter to rectify the determined incorrect wiring based on the failedtest and transmits the executable instructions to the at least oneelectronic power meter via the communication interface, the executableinstructions reprogram the at least one electronic power meter toperform at least one of shifting at least one measured current phase bya predetermined amount and/or reassigning measured voltage values from afirst voltage phase input to a second voltage phase input, and whereinthe selected wiring setup configuration is a 3 Element Wye configurationand the retrieved at least two tests include a first test to determineif the measured voltages and currents are above a predeterminedthreshold, a second test to determine if any voltage phases are swapped,a third test to determine if the voltage phases are 120 degrees apart, afourth test to determine if a current phase is 180 degrees from acorresponding voltage phase, and a fifth test to determine if a currentphase is 45 degrees from a corresponding voltage phase.
 2. The device asin claim 1, wherein the wiring setup configuration is one of a 3 ElementWye configuration and/or 2 CT Delta configuration.
 3. The device as inclaim 1, wherein the at least one measured parameter includes at leastone of RMS voltage and/or RMS current.
 4. The device as in claim 1,wherein the at least one calculated parameter includes at least one ofvoltage phase angles and/or current phase angles.
 5. The device as inclaim 1, wherein the notification is at least one of an email, textmessage and/or voice message.
 6. The device as in claim 1, wherein thenotification includes corrective measures to rectify the incorrectwiring based on the failed test.
 7. The device as in claim 1, whereinthe at least one processor determines voltage and current phase anglesbased on the at least one measured and/or calculated parameter from theat least one electronic power meter.
 8. The device as in claim 1,wherein the transmission of the executable instructions to the at leastone electronic power meter via the communication interface is withoutuser intervention.
 9. The device as in claim 1, wherein the selectedwiring setup configuration is a 2 CT delta configuration and theretrieved at least two tests include a first test to determine if themeasured voltages and currents are above a predetermined threshold, asecond test to determine if any voltage phases are swapped, a third testto determine if a Vbc voltage phase is 60 degrees from a Vcb voltagephase, a fourth test to determine if current la phase is within apredetermined threshold of voltage Vab phase, a fifth test to determineif current le phase is within a predetermined threshold of voltage Vcbphase and a sixth test to determine if a current phase is 180 degreesfrom a predetermined current phase.
 10. The device as in claim 1,further comprising a user interface that displays the notificationrelating to at least two different electronic power meterssimultaneously.
 11. An electronic power meter for monitoring anelectrical distribution system providing power to a load, the electronicpower meter comprising: at least one sensor coupled to the electricaldistribution system, the at least one sensor configured to measure atleast one parameter of the electrical distribution system and generateat least one analog signal indicative of the at least one parameter; atleast one analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the at leastone analog signal and convert the at least one analog signal to at leastone digital signal; at least one memory configured to store at least onefirst firmware, a selection of at least two wiring setup configurationsof the electronic power meter and at least one measured and/orcalculated parameter of the electrical distribution system, each wiringsetup configuration including at least two tests used to verify if theelectronic power meter is wired correctly; and at least one processorthat calculates parameters of the electrical distribution system,retrieves the at least two tests from the at least one memory based onthe selected wiring setup configuration and determines if the electronicpower meter is wired correctly based on executing the retrieved at leasttwo tests using the at least one measured and/or calculated parameters,wherein the at least one processor determines the electronic power meteris wired incorrectly if at least one test fails, generates anotification indicating which test has failed and generates at least onesecond firmware to reprogram the electronic power meter to rectify thedetermined incorrect wiring based on the failed test, the at least onesecond firmware reprograms the at least one electronic power meter toperform at least one of shifting at least one measured current phase bya predetermined amount and/or reassigning measured voltage values from afirst voltage phase input to a second voltage phase input, wherein theat least one processor executes the at least one second firmware withoutuser intervention, and wherein the selected wiring setup configurationis a 3 Element Wye configuration and the retrieved at least two testsinclude a first test to determine if the measured voltages and currentsare above a predetermined threshold, a second test to determine if anyvoltage phases are swapped, a third test to determine if the voltagephases are 120 degrees apart, a fourth test to determine if a currentphase is 180 degrees from a corresponding voltage phase, and a fifthtest to determine if a current phase is 45 degrees from a correspondingvoltage phase.
 12. The electronic power meter as in claim 11, whereinthe at least one measured parameter includes at least one of RMS voltageand/or RMS current.
 13. The electronic power meter as in claim 11,wherein the at least one calculated parameter includes at least one ofvoltage phase angles and/or current phase angles.
 14. The electronicpower meter as in claim 11, further comprising a display device thatdisplays the notification.
 15. The electronic power meter as in claim11, further comprising a communication interface that transmits thenotification to an external device, wherein the notification is at leastone of an email, text message and/or voice message.
 16. The electronicpower meter as in claim 11, wherein the notification includes correctivemeasures to rectify the incorrect wiring based on the failed test. 17.The electronic power meter as in claim 11, wherein the at least oneprocessor determines voltage and current phase angles based on the atleast one measured and/or calculated parameter.
 18. An electronic powermeter for monitoring an electrical distribution system providing powerto a load, the electronic power meter comprising: a housing; at leastone sensor disposed in the housing and coupled to the electricaldistribution system, the at least one sensor configured to measure atleast one parameter of the electrical distribution system and generateat least one analog signal indicative of the at least one parameter; atleast one analog-to-digital converter disposed in the housing andconfigured to receive the at least one analog signal and convert the atleast one analog signal to at least one digital signal; at least onememory disposed in the housing and configured to store at least onefirst firmware, a selection of at least two wiring setup configurationsof the electronic power meter and at least one measured and/orcalculated parameter of the electrical distribution system, each wiringsetup configuration including at least two tests used to verify if theelectronic power meter is wired correctly; at least one processordisposed in the housing that calculates parameters of the electricaldistribution system, retrieves the at least two tests from the at leastone memory based on the selected wiring setup configuration anddetermines if the electronic power meter is wired correctly based onexecuting the retrieved at least two tests using the at least onemeasured and/or calculated parameters; and a user interface including adisplay device disposed in a surface of the housing, wherein the atleast one processor determines the electronic power meter is wiredincorrectly if at least one test fails, generates a notificationindicating which test has failed to be displayed on the display deviceand generates at least one second firmware to reprogram the electronicpower meter to rectify the determined incorrect wiring based on thefailed test, the at least one second firmware reprograms the at leastone electronic power meter to perform at least one of the shifting atleast one measured current phase by a predetermined amount and/orreassigning measured voltage values from a first voltage phase input toa second voltage phase input, wherein, if the at least one processordetermines that the at least one electronic power meter is wiredincorrectly, the at least one processor prompts a user via the displaydevice of the user interface to initiate corrective measures; and if theuser activates the corrective measures via the user interface, the atleast one processor executes the at least one second firmware.